Overview
- Digger opened in early October to roughly $8 million in North America and about $20–21 million worldwide, a start that quickly prompted fresh loss calculations.
- Multiple insiders and trade reports place the film’s production costs in the $163–173 million range with roughly $100 million spent on marketing, pushing the break‑even point into the high hundreds of millions.
- Industry sources now estimate the studio’s total shortfall at about $250 million after expected post‑theatrical revenue, though that figure is an internal projection rather than an official studio accounting.
- Skydance executives reviewing the newly combined company’s books were reportedly surprised by the scale of the shortfall, and Warner Bros. leadership and oversight changes have been reported as the studio assesses its future slate.
- Exhibitors have cut most IMAX engagements after one week and Tom Cruise and several public supporters have defended the film, a dynamic that may shape decisions about expensive, auteur‑driven projects going forward.